LG preparing its D1L flagship phone

by
4/11/2012 9:05:00 AM

It seems odd to be talking of a yet-to-launch phone ready to take on another phone still to debut, but that's the case with the LG D1L.

According to reports out of Korea, the D1L will be the first Ice Cream Sandwich smartphone from LG and direct competition to the Samsung Galaxy S III, which has been rumoured for some months now, but is still to launch. Although saying that, the (expected) specification of both handsets does vary, even if both run the latest incarnation of Android at launch.

The initial specification of the D1L (that's likely to be a development name) is a 4.7-inch HD display (720x1280), a dual-core Qualcomm MSM8960 1.5GHz processor and of course, Android 4.0 for the OS. The most obvious differences there, in comparison to the Galaxy S III, is a larger screen than the rumoured 4.6-inch AMOLED HD+ screen and offering 'just' a dual-core processor in comparison to the quad-core prowess of Samsung's new flagship phone. That last feature has effectively been confirmed by a Samsung executive.

But the LG D1L might have one more trick up its sleeve – an earlier launch. No one is quite sure when the Galaxy S III will launch, with optimistic reports talking about May, but with a launch over the height of summer more likely, possibly in July to tie in with the Olympics. The D1L is rumoured to be launching much sooner, with availability at the end of May already being talked about. That timing could be crucial for sales if the phone lives up to its promise.

A spokesman for LG Electronics has confirmed that the company is 'developing a project with the name D1L' but stopped short of offering up additional detail. When we hear more or see an image, you'll be the first to know.